The invention relates to the field of compressive orthoses for one or both lower limbs, generally known as xe2x80x9celastic stockingsxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9celastic tightsxe2x80x9d.
Although the terms xe2x80x9cstockingsxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9ctightsxe2x80x9d are used below, the invention is not limited to a particular article, but applies equally well to any compressive orthosis, whether in the form of tights (a single piece covering both lower limbs and the abdomen up to the waist), mono-tights (tights covering a single leg for applying remedial retention to a single lower limb), stockings (covering the thigh and the calf), or socks (covering the calves only).
To enable a high degree of compression to be applied to the lower limb(s), such articles are made of an elastic material, typically a knit having a very fine texture.
One of the drawbacks of a very fine texture is that it is relatively uncomfortable to wear, particularly when ambient temperature is high, typically in summer. Because of that discomfort, giving rise to sweating and irritation, patients tend to abandon such orthoses under these circumstances or at any rate to wear them less, even though continuous remedial retention, even on a reduced scale, is desirable, therapeutically speaking.
An object of the invention is to remedy that difficulty by proposing a novel type of compressive orthosis which, while providing the entire desired therapeutic effect (retention/compression to a therapeutic extent, and thus decreasing from the ankle), also provide the sensation of stockings that are cooler, better aired, thereby greatly improving the comfort of the patient, and consequently leading to treatment being complied with.
The compressive orthosis of the invention which is of the elastic stocking or tights type comprises a leg portion in a compressive knit suitable for delivering degressive therapeutic retention, and is characterized in that said compressive knit comprises a net type knit knitted with a weft thread of elastic material.
Most advantageously, the net type knit is combined with at least one background thread of elastic material and of lighter weight than the weft thread.
According to various preferred characteristics:
the knit comprises at least two background threads for each weft thread, and preferably three background threads for each weft thread, the background thread(s) being knitted together with the weft thread in such a manner as to form an array of cells that are substantially hexagonal, in particular an array which, on being deformed, presents a stronger resilient return force in the horizontal direction than in the vertical direction; and
the ratio of the weight of the background thread to the weight of the weft thread is at least 1:3, and preferably about 1:4; with the weight of the weft thread being preferably about 130 dtex and that of the background thread about 33 dtex.
There follows a description of an embodiment of the invention given with reference to the accompanying drawings.